Eleven-Headed Guanyin (late 600s): Art, History and Details

Eleven-Headed Guanyin (late 600s) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

Guanyin, the bodhisattva of infinite compassion, can be identified by his attributes, carrying a tiny Amida Buddha in his crown, and holding a bottle with the nectar of life in his left hand. The eleven-headed Guanyin, in particular, has his eyes and ears open in all directions to hear, see, and help all those who are in distress. The garment and jewelry of this graceful figure remind us that the historic Buddha Shakyamuni was originally an Indian prince before he reached enlightenment. Upon his death, he entered nirvana, an eternal state free of desire and suffering, outside the realm of birth, death, and rebirth. The dating and attribution of the figure as being from China needs further study.

Object facts

• Title: Eleven-Headed Guanyin
• Date: late 600s
• Culture: China, Tang dynasty (618–907)
• Type: Sculpture
• Technique: wood
• Dimensions: height: 62.9 cm (24 3/4 in.)
• Collection: China - Tang Dynasty
• Department: Chinese Art
• Accession number: 1970.66

A detail from the museum

The sculpture was made of different types of wood with different grain sizes and patterns, which are connected with wood pegs and glue.

Collection credit

John L. Severance Fund

Further reading listed by the museum

• Lee, Sherman E. “The Year in Review for 1970.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art, vol. 58, no. 2, 1971, pp. 22–71.
• Jenkins, Donald, and Robin Scribnick. Masterworks in Wood: China and Japan: [Exhibition] Portland Art Museum, November 4 Through December 5, 1976, Asia House Gallery, January 13 Through March 20, 1977. Portland, OR: Portland Art Museum, 1976.
• The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.